The 2022 PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker is underway and has already crowned its first champions.
PokerStars Team Pro Ben "Spraggy" Spragg was unlucky to not grab a third WCOOP title after final-tabling the first Championship Event of the festival.
Here he gives PokerNews readers four pieces of advice for those tackling WCOOP this month.
Sleep is Vital
Spragg's first tip is a simple one, but something that he says is the most important when it comes to grinding a major online poker festival such as WCOOP.
"I think sleep is definitely the most important thing," said Spragg. "Having a consistent sleep schedule means you're in the best possible shape to play online.
"You're going to have some late nights, especially if you're running deep, but the main thing is to ensure that you get some rest so you're in the best shape."
Food & Nutrition
We then asked Spragg whether food and nutrition would be his second piece of advice, but were met with a surprising response.
"I know you're going to want me to answer with how important it is to eat healthy and stay hydrated, but as a two-time WCOOP champion I don't mind admitting that I'm definitely going to be eating a lot of junk food. Takeaway and stuff. I'm sorry! It's the truth!
"It's more important to make sure that you do eat; whether it's snacks or fruit or something — you want to make sure that you don't have to think too much about food when you're sitting down to grind."
Work-Life Balance
Other PokerStars Ambassadors will be streaming during WCOOP, with Lex Veldhuis previously releasing his streaming schedule, and Spragg says that it's important to maintain the work-life balance as the series progresses.
Related: Lex Veldhuis Confirms WCOOP Stream Schedule
"I mean, Lex [Veldhuis] goes out for a walk after every session. I'm not gonna be doing that, but it's important to have time away from your computer if you're going to be putting in huge volume.
"There will definitely be times when I want to shut the computer away and think about other stuff. I remember that in previous years [the schedule] had Friday off, which was a great addition to make sure you stayed grounded and focused over the course of the festival."
Don't Over-Study
Studying is an important part of a poker player's routine, and although Spragg says that he will do some elements of studying during WCOOP, he won't be overdoing it.
"I won't be doing much study. After every session I'll be going over spots, but it's important not to try and learn new concepts in the middle of WCOOP.
"Maybe before every session just refresh a couple of key concepts: I'm going to do this more, or I'm going to avoid doing this. That way you can make sure that you're continuing to improve as a player while hopefully winning a bunch of money and titles!"
